The recent news of 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports (FRM) filing an antitrust lawsuit against NASCAR is an incredible step towards curbing the dynastic power of the France family. This can also be not the primary time that representatives of the game have opposed the ruling body.
It's an excellent thing that we go to Talladega Superspeedway immediately after filing a court filing, because this track was the positioning of some of the dramatic clashes between the game and its competitors within the history of NASCAR. The events at Talledega in 1969 were so iconic that they were even mentioned in a lawsuit filed by 23XI and FRM for instance of the French family's power over sports.
Welcome to NASCAR's largest oval
The 12 months was 1969, and the newly constructed 4.66-mile superspeedway was about to host its first-ever Cup race. It was then often called the Alabama International Motor Speedway. Its construction was Bill France Sr.'s own project and price $5 million. The track was accomplished barely on time and contained unfinished suites for the opening race weekend.
During testing just days before the event, drivers set unofficial closed-course records on the monster superspeedway. However, a rash of tire problems raised concerns across the paddock. There were also complaints about unevenness and possible holes. Firestone and Goodyear, which were engaged in a tire war in the game, tried to introduce harder compounds for the race but didn’t solve the issue. As a result, Firestone withdrew from the race while Goodyear remained involved.
NASCAR visionary Bill France Sr. was the primary inductee announced as a part of the inaugural Hall of Fame class. (Note: This track shouldn’t be Talladega)
Photo: Getty Images
To prove to the drivers how protected the track is, France himself decided to drive around it. However, drivers weren't convinced since it never exceeded 160 miles per hour. France was advised to easily limit her running speed, but this was obviously unrealistic because someone was at all times exceeding that limit in an try to win the race, forcing others to dangerously follow suit.
PDA, blows and a full boycott
At the time, there was the Professional Drivers Association (PDA), headed by Richard Petty, who went on to turn out to be the winningest driver within the history of the NASCAR Cup Series. The PDA has approached the sanctioning authority with a proposal to postpone the inaugural event. France, which founded NASCAR in 1948, rejected their request. He wasn't a fan of PDA or anything resembling a relationship. He had already thwarted an try to form a union in 1961 by banning star drivers Curtis Turner and Tim Flock from racing. They ended up suing NASCAR and just a few years later each drivers were reinstated.
During the controversial PDA encounter, France accused Bobby Allison of being too afraid to race. Hearing this, LeeRoy Yarbrough advanced and reportedly punched France within the face, knocking him to the bottom. This ended the talks between each side. Almost all 36 PDA members immediately withdrew from the race. They include future Hall of Famers Richard Petty, David Pearson, Bobby Allison, Donnie Allison, Cale Yarborough, Wendell Scott and Buddy Baker.
Talladega Super Speedway
Photo: Matthew T. Thacker / NKP / Motorsport Images
The show goes on
The race was still held and PDA member Richard Brickhouse broke rank and didn’t withdraw from the event. Adding to all this drama was the proven fact that Chrysler used the Talladega to showcase its brand recent Dodge Charger Daytona with its iconic rear wing. The Detroit brand then convinced Brickhouse to run the race while the remaining of the PDA walked. He was considered one of only three Cup drivers to not take part in the boycott, together with Jim Vandiver and Bobby Isaac.
To fill the remaining field, France turned to a lower league, the NASCAR Grand American Series. He invited these drivers to compete in a 500-mile race, even allowing them to enter smaller, slower cars within the race. France also offered current fans free admission to the 1970 Daytona 500 as compensation for the dearth of star power at Talladega.
Goodyear put recent tires on the morning of the race, and despite the concerns that began all of it, no major problems occurred. With only three true Cup cars in the sphere, Brickhouse took the checkered flag, his only Cup Series victory. Among the numerous lower-level drivers who filled the sphere was a rookie making his Cup debut — future NASCAR Hall of Fame team owner and then-driver Richard Childress.
The PDA disbanded shortly after the Talladega debacle in 1969, much to France's satisfaction. He retained full control of the game, and the France family continues to accomplish that to today. 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports are actually searching for to challenge the body resulting from what they consider are unfair terms of their 2025 charter agreement. They should not the primary to return out against the France family, but can they succeed where everyone else failed before them? Well, they’ve Michael Jordan on their side…
